Methods and apparatus to charge electric vehicles

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus to charge electric vehicles are disclosed. An example method includes receiving, at a processor, a request for a mobile charging unit to meet an electric vehicle to provide a battery charge to the electric vehicle. The request is generated by the electric vehicle when a ratio of a remaining trip distance of the electric vehicle to a remaining expected range of the electric vehicle exceeds a threshold. The example method further includes identifying, via the processor, a location for the battery charge based on input from a user of the electric vehicle regarding a plurality of possible locations for the battery charge.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to electric vehicles and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus to charge electric vehicles.

BACKGROUND

A significant cost in the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs),including fully electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, is thebattery assembly. Typically, EV battery assemblies include one or morelarge batteries to ensure adequate driving range so that an EV user canconfidently travel to desired destinations and return to a chargingstation (e.g., at the user's home or workplace) where the EV batteriescan be recharged. Such large battery assemblies are not only expensivebut add significant weight to EVs, resulting in an increase to the size,weight, and cost of the supporting vehicle chassis. Furthermore, theadditional weight of the battery assembly and supporting chassis cannegatively impact the efficiency or fuel economy of the vehicle.

SUMMARY

Methods and apparatus to charge electric vehicles are disclosed. Anexample method includes receiving, at a processor, a request for amobile charging unit to meet an electric vehicle to provide a batterycharge to the electric vehicle. The request is generated by the electricvehicle when a ratio of a remaining trip distance of the electricvehicle to a remaining expected range of the electric vehicle exceeds athreshold. The example method further includes identifying, via theprocessor, a location for the battery charge based on input from a userof the electric vehicle regarding a plurality of possible locations forthe battery charge.

An example apparatus includes a processor and a memory includinginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to receive arequest for a mobile charging unit to meet an electric vehicle toprovide a battery charge to the electric vehicle. The request isgenerated by the electric vehicle when a ratio of a remaining tripdistance of the electric vehicle to a remaining expected range of theelectric vehicle exceeds a threshold. The instructions further cause theprocessor to identify a location for the battery charge based on inputfrom a user of the electric vehicle regarding a plurality of possiblelocations for the battery charge.

An example tangible computer readable storage medium includesinstructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least receive arequest for a mobile charging unit to meet an electric vehicle toprovide a battery charge to the electric vehicle. The request isgenerated by the electric vehicle when a ratio of a remaining tripdistance of the electric vehicle to a remaining expected range of theelectric vehicle exceeds a threshold. The instructions further cause themachine to identify a location for the battery charge based on inputfrom a user of the electric vehicle regarding a plurality of possiblelocations for the battery charge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system within which the teachingsdisclosed herein may be implemented to charge an EV.

FIG. 2 illustrates example regions in a map associated with an expectedroute from a current location to a trip destination of the EV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates other example regions in a map associated with anexpected route from a current location to a trip destination of the EVof FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system of FIG. 1 to request one or more batterycharge rendezvous.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system of FIG. 1 to determine a tripdestination for the EV.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system of FIG. 1 to identify a rendezvouslocation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample server of FIG. 1 to identify a rendezvous location for an EV anda mobile charging unit (MCU).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system of FIG. 1 to enable the EV to receive abattery charge from the MCU at a rendezvous location.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example processor system structured toexecute example machine readable instructions represented at least inpart by FIGS. 4-8 to implement the example system of FIG. 1.

The figures are not necessarily to scale. Wherever possible, the samereference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) andaccompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An electric vehicle (EV) may be a full EV, which operates entirely onelectricity, or a hybrid EV, which includes two powertrains: one poweredby a battery and one powered by gas or some other fuel. This couldinclude a hybrid fuel cell vehicle where the electric motor is poweredby either a fuel cell or a battery. Both full EVs and hybrid EVs includea battery assembly to store energy. Although EVs are becoming moreprevalent, many consumers are reluctant to purchase such a vehiclebecause EVs can be relatively expensive. The costs associated withbatteries used in EVs can be a significant contributing factor to thehigh costs of EVs. Some consumers desire an EV driving range ofapproximately 300-400 miles without a battery charge, but meeting thisconsumer desire may result in battery costs of as much as 40,000. Evenwhere consumers do not anticipate travelling long distances, they maystill desire an EV with a battery capacity two to three times theirtypical travel distance between charges to ensure they will not depletethe electrical energy stored in the batteries if they end up needing totravel farther than expected. For example, a consumer that usuallytravels up to 50 miles each day will typically desire a vehicle having adriving range of at least 100-150 miles. As a result, EVs are typicallymanufactured with relatively large battery assemblies to meet theconsumers' demands Not only are these large battery assembliesexpensive, but they add significant weight to the vehicle and, thus,decrease the efficiency of the vehicle. Furthermore, the added weight oflarge battery assemblies results in the need for a larger and/or heavierchassis to support the battery assembly, which further adds costs to themanufacturing of the vehicle and reduces the fuel economy of thevehicle.

Example methods and apparatus are disclosed herein that enable use ofsmaller battery assemblies in EVs, thereby resulting in less expensive,more efficient vehicles while enabling consumers to travel to theirdesired destinations without being stranded in a location withoutbattery power. In some examples disclosed herein, one or more mobilecharging units (e.g., a vehicle equipped to provide an electric chargeto the batteries of an EV) are stationed throughout a city and/or acrossa network of multiple cities. An EV may request to meet or rendezvouswith one of the mobile charging units (MCUs) at a location along orclose to the travel route of the EV to receive a charge to itsbatteries. More particularly, in some examples, the request andarrangement of a meeting or rendezvous location for a battery charge maybe based on when a remaining level of energy stored in the batteries ofthe EV is such that the EV is unlikely to reach a trip destinationcorresponding to a stationary charging unit (e.g., a wall electricalsocket at the EV user's home) before depleting the energy stored in thebatteries.

The ability to arrange for a battery charge at virtually any locationwhere an EV can rendezvous with a MCU, reduces or eliminates the needfor excess battery capacity as a built in safety factor for the drivingrange of the EV. That is, assuming that most consumers travel no morethan 50 miles in a day, an EV would only need to have sufficient batterypower to travel 50 miles because consumers would know that if theyoccasionally need to travel further, they would be able to obtain acharge from a MCU near the time and near the location where they wouldotherwise deplete the stored energy in their batteries to a point wherea charge is necessary to continue their travel. The reduced batterycapacity requirements substantially reduce the cost of manufacturing anEV. Furthermore, the reduced weight of the EV resulting from a smallerbattery assembly improves the fuel economy of the vehicle.

In the less common circumstances where an EV user intends to travel adistance greater than the maximum driving range of the vehicle (e.g.,greater than 50 miles), one or more rendezvous locations with multipleMCUs at different points along the expected travel route of the EV canbe arranged. Longer travel routes, particularly intercity trips, mayinclude longer road segments where few or no MCUs are immediatelyavailable. Accordingly, in some examples, some or all of the rendezvouslocations are arranged well before the battery charge is actually neededto ensure the EV has sufficient driving range to travel across thelonger road segments where there is limited or no access to MCUs.Furthermore, if an MCU is needed along a longer road segment (e.g., anEV does not have a sufficient driving range), arranging a battery chargerendezvous well before it is needed allows for sufficient time for a MCUto arrive at the location where the EV will need to be charged.

Charging an EV battery via a MCU may be more expensive than charging thebattery at a stationary charging unit (e.g., at the EV user's home) suchthat the EV user may desire to receive no more energy during the mobilecharge than is needed to travel to the stationary charging unit.Accordingly, in some disclosed examples, the charge or energy level ofthe battery is monitored during the battery charging process with theMCU and a signal is generated to stop the process when a sufficientbattery energy level has been acquired.

Turning in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an example system100 for charging an electric vehicle (EV) 102 with a mobile chargingunit (MCU) 104. The EV 102 may be any vehicle powered at least in partby a battery or other stored electrical energy source. The EV 102 may bea full EV (e.g., powered entirely by electricity) or a hybrid EV (e.g.,powered in part by stored electricity and in part by a gas or otherfuel). In the illustrated example, the EV 102 includes a batteryassembly 106. The battery assembly 106 may be one battery or multiplebatteries that provide electrical power to an electric motor or motors107 of the EV 102.

The MCU 104 may be any vehicle that has the capability to provide anelectric charge to the battery assembly 106 of the EV 102. Moreparticularly, in some examples, the MCU 104 can provide a direct current(DC) fast-charge that is capable of providing a sufficient charge to thebattery assembly 106 in a relatively short period of time (e.g., a 50%charge in less than 15 minutes). In the illustrated example, the MCU 104is a large vehicle (e.g., a commercial truck) that includes one or morebatteries 108. In some examples, the batteries 108 of the MCU 104 arepre-charged. In other examples, the MCU 104 may charge the batteries 108via a generator powered by the engine of the MCU 104 (e.g., the MCU 104is a hybrid electric vehicle) and/or another engine carried by the MCU104. In other examples, the MCU 104 may provide electrical energy tocharge the battery assembly 106 of the EV 102 directly from a generatorpowered by the engine of the MCU 104. In some examples, the MCU 104 isone of a fleet of MCUs associated with a commercial entity in thebusiness of providing battery charges to Evs. Additionally oralternatively, the MCU 104 may be one of a fleet of MCUs provided by amunicipality or other governmental entity as a community service, suchas a fleet in a large city. In other examples, the MCU 104 may beanother EV that is privately owned by an individual that has agreed toshare electrical energy with one or more other EVs such as the EV 102.In the illustrated example, the EV 102 and the MCU 104 include suitableelectrical connectors along with other components necessary to enablethe transfer of electrical energy from the MCU 104 to the EV 102 (i.e.,to enable the MCU 104 to charge the EV 102).

In the illustrated example, the EV 102 includes an EV mobile chargesystem 110 to implement the teachings disclosed herein. As shown in theillustrated example, the EV mobile charge system 110 of the EV 102includes an example battery charge level monitor 112, an example chargemonitoring system 114, an example trip route analyzer 116, an examplenavigation system 118, an example travel route database 120, an examplecommunication system 122, an example rendezvous selection system 124,and an example user interface 126.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the battery charge level monitor112 monitors the level of energy/charge remaining in the batteryassembly 106. Based on the detected battery charge level, the chargemonitoring system 114 may determine a remaining expected range of the EV102 without a battery charge (i.e., the driving range before the batteryassembly 106 is expected to be depleted of electrical energy to a pointthat the battery assembly 106 can no longer supply sufficient power tothe electric motor(s) 107 to propel the EV 102). The remaining expectedrange of the EV 102 for a given battery charge level may vary dependingon the circumstances of the EV's use. For example, the remainingexpected range of the EV 102 may be smaller where the EV 102 isrepeatedly stopping and starting in heavy traffic relative to when theEV 102 is travelling on a highway. Furthermore, more battery energy maybe expended when travelling uphill than on a level road or goingdownhill. Further still, the use of an air conditioner, heater, fanblower, radio, and/or other components in the EV 102 consumes energyfrom the battery assembly 106, thereby affecting the remaining expectedrange of the EV 102. Accordingly, in some examples, the chargemonitoring system 114 may consider these additional factors affectingbattery energy consumption when calculating the remaining expected rangeof the EV 102.

The example EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 is provided with thetrip route analyzer 116 to determine an expected route of the EV 102 toa designated trip destination. In some examples, the trip route analyzer116 obtains the expected route from the navigation system 118 (or otheronboard or mobile device) into which a user of the EV 102 has enteredthe trip destination. Where the user has not specifically entered thetrip destination, the trip route analyzer 116 may determine the expectedroute of the EV 102 based on whether the current travel path of the EV102 is recognizable as matching a historical or previously used travelpath or route. That is, in some examples, the trip route analyzer 116monitors the travel route of the EV 102 (e.g., using the navigationsystem 118) and stores common and/or repeated routes in the travel routedatabase 120. For example, EV users may follow the same travel route totheir workplace each morning and follow the same or similar route inreverse each evening to travel home. In such examples, even where usershave not specified their trip destination, the trip route analyzer 116may identify that the users are traveling to work or traveling homebased on the current travel route of the vehicle and the time of day.Similarly, the trip route analyzer 116 may recognize other travel routesof the EV 102 (e.g., to the grocery store, to the doctor, etc.). Insituations where the trip destination cannot be determined and/or thereis an unanticipated deviation from an expected route, the trip routeanalyzer 116 may prompt the EV user to specify the trip destination.

Based on the expected route of the EV 102, the charge monitoring system114 may determine a remaining distance of the EV 102 to the tripdestination. In accordance with the teachings disclosed herein,determining the remaining trip distance of the EV 102 enables adetermination of whether the EV 102 will need a charge before reachingthe destination. However, if a particular location does not include theability to charge the EV 102 and the EV 102 will not have sufficientenergy stored in its battery assembly 106 to leave the location to reacha different location where battery charging is available, it is nothelpful to know whether the EV 102 will be able to reach the firstlocation at which charging is unavailable before needing a charge.Accordingly, in some examples, the trip destination is assumed tocorrespond to a location including a stationary charging unit for the EV102 (e.g., the EV user's home where a battery charging system is fixedlylocated). Thus, in some examples, the expected route of the EV 102 maycorrespond to a round trip (e.g., to work and back home, to the storeand back home, etc.) with the trip destination being the finaldestination, where extended charging may occur, rather than anyintermediate stops.

Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the remaining tripdistance of the EV 102 is determined based on a distance from thecurrent location of the EV 102 to any of one or more known tripdestinations with a stationary charging unit regardless of the currenttravel path or route of the EV 102. For example, the known destinationsmay correspond to the EV user's work address, home address, electricvehicle servicing stations, etc. In some examples, the user may specifywhich locations are to be used as trip destinations in determining theremaining trip distance of the EV 102.

In the illustrated example, the charge monitoring system 114 comparesthe remaining trip distance of the EV 102 (based on the expected route)with the remaining expected range of the EV 102 (based on the batterycharge level) to determine whether the EV 102 may need a charge beforereaching its trip destination (e.g., a location having a stationarycharging unit). If so, the charge monitoring system 114 may initiateprocedures to request a rendezvous with the MCU 104 to receive a batterycharge.

In some examples, a request for a battery charge rendezvous may betriggered when the ratio of the remaining trip distance of the EV 102 tothe remaining expected range of the EV 102 exceeds a threshold. In someexamples, the threshold to trigger a request for a mobile battery chargefrom the MCU 104 is 1 (i.e., threshold to be exceeded corresponds towhen the remaining trip distance of the EV 102 is equal to the remainingexpected range of the EV 102). In some examples, the threshold that theratio of trip distance to remaining expected range is to exceed beforetriggering a response by the EV mobile charge system 110 may be slightlyless than 1 (e.g., 0.85. 0.9, 0.95, etc.). The less than 1 value of thethreshold serves to build in a factor of safety to account forvariability in the remaining expected range of the EV 102 based onparameters that may affect battery charge consumption (e.g., a lot ofstopping and starting versus travelling at highway speeds, changes inelevation (going uphill versus downhill), using an air conditioner,etc.) and/or unanticipated detours from the expected route of the EV102. For example, a remaining trip distance of 19 miles with a remainingexpected range of 20 miles results in a ratio of less than 1(19/20=0.95) indicating the EV 102 should be able to reach the tripdestination. However, there may be other factors during the time ittakes to travel the remaining 19 miles that consume more battery energyor charge than anticipated such that the energy to travel the extra milerepresented in the remaining expected range is consumed before the EV102 reaches the destination.

In other examples, the threshold may be greater than 1 (e.g., 1.05, 1.1etc.). In particular, the threshold may be greater than 1 when there isa considerable remaining distance to the trip destination and theremaining expected range of the EV 102 is estimated to be close to theremaining trip distance. For example, a remaining trip distance of 21miles with a remaining expected range of 20 miles results in a ratio ofmore than 1 (21/20=1.05) indicating the EV 102 will not be able to makeit to the trip destination. However, with such a remaining distance totravel, the EV 102 may actually consume less energy than anticipated dueto inaccuracies in determining the remaining distance (e.g., based on adeviation from an expected path) and/or estimating the expectedremaining range (e.g., based on the EV 102 being operated in a mannerthat reduces energy usage). Thus, the EV 102 may be able to make up theone mile of deficiency in the remaining expected range in the aboveexample over the course of the 21 miles to the trip destination. As aresult, the EV 102 may be able to reach the desired destination withoutthe need for a battery charge (i.e., before the electrical energy storedin the battery assembly 106 is depleted). Thus, regardless of whetherthe ratio is above or below a specified threshold, the charge monitoringsystem 114 may suppress a request for a battery charge until theremaining expected range of the vehicle is under a threshold (e.g., lessthan 10 miles left) and/or the battery charge level is below acorresponding battery charge level threshold (e.g., less than 10% of afully charged condition).

While the examples described herein are described with respect to aratio of the remaining trip distance to the remaining expected range ofthe EV 102, a request for a battery charge from an MCU 104 may betriggered without actually calculating the ratio. In some examples, thedifference between the remaining trip distance and the remainingexpected range may be used to determine when the ratio exceeds athreshold. For instance, zero difference (i.e., the remaining expectedrange is equal to the remaining trip distance) corresponds to a ratioof 1. If the difference indicates the remaining expected range is higherthan the remaining trip distance, the corresponding ratio would be lessthan 1. Similarly, if the difference indicates the remaining expectedrange is lower than the remaining trip distance, the corresponding ratiowould be greater than 1. The ratio resulting from a particulardifference between the remaining trip distance and the remainingexpected range depends on the value of the two distances. Using theabove noted example, a remaining trip distance of 21 miles and aremaining expected range of 20 miles (for a difference of 1 mile)results in a ratio slightly above 1 (21/20=1.05). By contrast, aremaining trip distance of 2 miles and a remaining expected range of 1mile (again corresponding to a difference of 1 mile) results in a ratiosubstantially greater than 1 (2/1=2).

As noted above, when the remaining expected range is only 1 miledeficient of a 21 mile remaining trip distance, arranging a rendezvouswith an MCU 104 may be unnecessary as the 1 mile deficiency may begained if less battery energy is depleted than expected during theremainder of the trip. However, it is unlikely that a 1 mile deficiencyin a remaining expected range can be gained when the total remainingtrip distance is only 2 miles (i.e., the remaining expected range is at1 mile) such that a battery charge is likely to be necessary. It islikely that a request for a battery charge would have been triggeredprior to the remaining expected range reaching such a low value.However, this example is provided to illustrate that using thedifference between the remaining expected range and the remaining tripdistance to determine when a request for a battery charge should be madedepends upon the relative size of the remaining trip distance. That is,in some examples, the particular difference that would trigger a requestfor a battery charge (corresponding to a ratio exceeding a threshold)may vary based upon the remaining trip distance.

In some examples, both the ratio of the remaining trip distance to theremaining expected range of the EV 102 and the difference the remainingtrip distance to the remaining expected range of the EV 102 may be usedto determine when to request a battery charge rendezvous. For example, abattery charge may be triggered when either (or both) of the ratioexceeds a first threshold and the difference exceeds a second threshold.

There may be times when the remaining trip distance of the EV 102 isgreater than a maximum driving range of the EV 102 (e.g., an expectedrange of the EV 102 when the battery assembly 106 is fully charged). Insuch a situation, at least one battery charging process (and possiblymore) will be necessary such that a request for a battery chargerendezvous may be triggered without comparing the remaining tripdistance to the remaining expected range of the EV 102. However, in somesuch examples, the remaining expected range may be taken intoconsideration in generating the request because the remaining expectedrange of the EV 102 can impact the number of battery charges needed forthe trip. For example, assuming the remaining trip distance of the EV102 is 75 miles but the maximum driving range of the EV 102 (with afully charged battery) is 50 miles, recharging the battery assembly 106within 25 miles of the current location of the EV 102 (e.g., before theremaining trip distance is reduced to less than 50 miles) would resultin the need for a second battery charge before arriving at the finaldestination. However, if the EV 102 can reach beyond the 25 mile pointof the total remaining trip distance with its current battery chargelevel (e.g., a remaining expected range of 30 miles), then the trip canbe completed with only one battery charge along the route to thedestination if the battery charge is arranged to occur within a targettravel distance to a rendezvous location in the range between the 25mile point and the remaining expected range of the EV 102. Accordingly,in some examples, the request for a battery charge includes informationidentifying the target travel distance (range) such that the batterycharge rendezvous corresponds to a location more than the 25 miles fromthe current location of the EV 102 but before the battery assembly 106needs a charge (i.e., before the remaining expected range of the EV 102reaches zero).

For comparison, if the current remaining expected range in the aboveexample is 15 miles (or the remaining trip distance is 105 miles) atleast two battery charges would be needed during the trip. In someexamples, the charge monitoring system 114 determines the smallestnumber of charges needed to enable the EV 102 to travel the full tripdistance and determines the approximate locations (e.g., distances alongthe expected route) where those charges need to occur. Based on thesedeterminations, the charge monitoring system 114 may generate a requestcorresponding to each of the charge rendezvous expected during the trip.In some examples, the request for some or all of the expected chargerendezvous may be transmitted at or near the same time during thebeginning of the trip, to reserve the both the initial battery chargeand one or more subsequent charges, even though the later charges willnot be needed for a considerable amount of time. Early reservation inthis manner may increase the reliability that the MCU 104 will beavailable. This also allows more time for an MCU 104 to respond to therequest and arrive at the specified rendezvous location proximate intime to when the EV 102 is scheduled to arrive. This is especiallyhelpful for long trips that extend between different cities and/orotherwise pass through areas where there may be relatively few or noMCUs 104 immediately available.

For example, assume the EV 102 has a maximum driving range of 50 mileswith a current remaining expected range of 15 miles and a remaining tripdistance of 105 miles. If the EV 102 obtains a battery chargeimmediately, the EV 102 would require two additional charges to reachthe trip destination for a total of three battery charges for the trip.That is, the first charge would enable the EV 102 to travel another 50miles, the second charge would enable the EV 102 to travel another 50miles (to 100 miles), and the third charge would be needed to travel thelast 5 miles. By contrast, if the EV 102 were to travel its currentremaining expect range (15 miles) before obtaining a charge, only oneadditional charge would be necessary for a total of two charges for thetrip. That is, the current battery charge level would enable the EV 102to travel 15 miles, the first charge would enable the EV 102 to travelanother 50 miles (to 65 miles), and the second charge would enable theEV 102 to travel the remaining 40 miles (with 10 miles of remainingexpected range upon arrival at the destination). Accordingly, in thisexample, the charge monitoring system 114 may generate requests forbattery charges in locations approximately 15 and 65 miles from thecurrent location of the EV 102. While the above example is describedwith respect to the EV 102 travelling its full maximum driving range(e.g., 50 miles) between charges, the charge monitoring system 114 maydefine distances between the successive battery charges in the requestthat are less than the maximum driving range of the EV 102 by athreshold (e.g., 5 miles to select locations 45 miles apart) to providea cushion or safety factor for variability in the consumption ofelectrical energy stored in the battery assembly 106 while driving.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the EV mobile charge system 110 isprovided with the example communication system 122 to transmit a requestfor a battery charge. In some examples, the request is transmittedautomatically when the charge monitoring system 114 determines that theratio of the remaining trip distance to the remaining expected range ofthe EV 102 exceeds a threshold as described above. In other examples,the charge monitoring system 114 first prompts a user of the EV 102 toconfirm whether the request should be transmitted. For example, thecharge monitoring system 114 may generate an alert or other indication(e.g., provided via the user interface 126) that the battery assembly106 is likely to need a charge (i.e., reach a battery charge level wherethe battery assembly 106 can no longer supply sufficient power to themotor(s) 107 to propel the EV 102) before the EV 102 reaches the tripdestination and then request user feedback on how to proceed. In someexamples, the request for a battery charge is transmitted directly tothe MCU 104 (e.g., via a direct radio communication). In other examples,the request is transmitted via a network 128 (e.g., a cellular network,a satellite network, etc.) as shown in FIG. 1. In some examples, therequest is transmitted to a remote server 130 and the server 130processes and/or analyzes the information included in the request tothen arrange and/or determine a rendezvous location with the MCU 104.

The MCU 104 may respond to the request by providing informationassociated with its availability to provide a battery charge to the EV102. More particularly, if the MCU 104 is available for immediatedispatch to the EV 102, the MCU 104 may provide its current locationwith an indication it is available to respond to the request. The MCU104 may not always be immediately available. For example, at the time ofthe request from the EV 102, the MCU 104 may be responding to adifferent request for a battery charge from a different EV. In such anexample, the MCU 104 may provide the location where the MCU 104 willmeet the other EV (whether already there or currently en route) andprovide a time of availability as the estimated time of completion ofthe battery charge of the other EV. In some examples, the MCU 104 mayprovide additional information such as, for example, the cost of abattery charge and/or the rate (e.g., speed) at which the MCU 104 canimplement the charge.

In some examples, the request for a charge from the EV 102 may betransmitted to multiple MCUs 104 in different locations in the vicinityof the EV 102. In such examples, each of the MCUs 104 may respond to therequest with relevant information concerning their availability torespond to the request. Based on the availability of one or more MCUs104, the rendezvous selection system 124 may determine a suitablerendezvous location where the EV 102 and the MCU 104 may meet to chargethe battery assembly 106 of the EV 102.

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 may identifymultiple possible rendezvous locations (associated either with one MCU104 or multiple different MCUs 104) and rank or rate each location basedon one or more parameters associated with a characteristic of thebattery charge services provided by the different MCUs, a characteristicof the timing or scheduling of the battery charge, a characteristic ofconvenience to the EV user, a characteristic of a travel time or traveldistance (of the EV 102 and/or the MCU 104), a characteristic of therendezvous location, a convenience to EV user, and/or otherconsiderations. However, one constraint may be that the rendezvouslocation to be selected is to be a distance from the current location ofthe EV 102 that is less than the remaining expected range of the EV 102.Otherwise, the EV 102 may not be able to reach the rendezvous location.The amount that the distance to the rendezvous location is less than theremaining expected range may correspond to a safety factor.

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 may rank differentrendezvous locations based on one or more battery charge servicecharacteristics. Battery charge service characteristics correspond tothe services provided by the responding MCU 104 (as compared with otherMCUs). For example, different MCUs 104 may have different types ofelectrical connectors. Additionally or alternatively, different MCUs 104may provide different charging rates (e.g., speed of delivery of abattery charge). The cost of a battery charge is another battery chargeservice characteristic that may differ from one MCU 104 to another(e.g., based on different charging speeds and/or prices set by thedifferent operators of the different MCUs 104). In some examples, thecost per unit energy may be fixed independent of the rendezvouslocation. In other examples, the cost of a battery charge may vary basedon how far the MCU 104 must travel to reach the rendezvous location. Inother words, rendezvous location rankings may be based on a traveldistance the MCU 104 from its current location to the rendezvouslocation. In some examples, rendezvous locations corresponding to MCUs104 that offer faster and/or less expensive battery charges are rankedhigher than locations corresponding to MCUs 104 providing slower and/ormore expensive charges.

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 may rank differentrendezvous locations based on one or more battery charge schedulingcharacteristics. Battery charge scheduling characteristics correspond tothe timing and/or scheduling of a battery charge. For example, differentrendezvous locations may be ranked based on the expected amount of timeto elapse before the EV 102 is expected to arrive at each location. If auser wants to initiate the battery charge as soon as possible, locationsarrived at sooner may be ranked higher. By contrast, if a user desiresto travel as far as possible before stopping for the battery charge,locations that take more time to reach (e.g., further along the expectedroute of the EV 102) may be ranked higher. Additionally oralternatively, in some examples, a rendezvous location may be rankedbased on a waiting period corresponding to the amount of time the EVuser needs to wait at the rendezvous location before the MCU 104 isexpected to arrive. Another example battery charge schedulingcharacteristic includes the expected duration of an electric batterycharge (e.g., based on the amount of charge needed and the charge rate(speed) provided by the MCU 104).

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 may rank differentrendezvous locations based on one or more user conveniencecharacteristics. User convenience characteristics correspond to theconvenience of the circumstances surrounding a battery charge at apossible rendezvous location. For example, a rendezvous location may beranked based on a diversion time corresponding to the anticipated timeadded to an expected duration of the trip of the EV 102 if no batterycharge were necessary. In some examples, the rendezvous selection system124 may rank a rendezvous location based on a diversion distancecorresponding to a distance off the expected route of the EV 102 to therendezvous location. In other words, rendezvous location rankings may bebased on the distance between the EV 102 and the rendezvous locationand/or the associated time to travel that distance.

Even where the amount of diversion (time or distance) from the expectedroute of the EV 102 to a rendezvous location may be minimal, thedistance between the EV 102 and the rendezvous location (and/or theassociated time to travel that distance) may still affect a ranking ofthe location. For example, where the remaining expected range for the EV102 is relatively large (but still insufficient to reach the tripdestination) the EV 102 may be able to drive an appreciabledistance/time before needing a battery charge. However, there may bereasons why selecting an earlier rendezvous location may be beneficial(e.g., to avoid risking the battery charge level/remaining expectedrange falling too low, based on a user preference, etc.).

In other examples, it may be beneficial to arrange the rendezvouslocation nearer to a location where the EV 102 will need a charge (e.g.,near where the energy stored in the battery assembly 106 is expected tobe depleted). For example, as described above, for especially longtrips, the remaining trip distance of the EV 102 may be greater than amaximum driving range of the EV 102 (e.g., the expected range when thebattery assembly 106 is fully charged). In such examples, if therendezvous location is near to where the battery assembly 106 will needa charge, the number of charges needed before arriving at a finaldestination may be reduced. Thus, in some examples, rendezvous locationrankings may be based on the remaining expected range of the EV 102and/or the number of battery charges expected before arriving at thetrip destination. Further, as noted above, when multiple battery chargesare to be arranged for a single trip, the rendezvous selection system124 may select successive rendezvous locations that are spaced adistance that is less than the maximum driving range of the EV 102 by athreshold to ensure that the EV 102 will be able to make it from onebattery charge location to the next.

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 may rank differentrendezvous locations based on one or more battery charge locationcharacteristics. Battery charge location characteristics correspond tocharacteristics of the particular location identified for the batterycharge. For example, different rendezvous locations may be ranked basedon their safety. More particularly, in some examples, the safety of alocation may be based on an analysis of the immediate surroundings ofthe location (e.g., being in a parking lot versus being on the side of abusy road). Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the safetyof a location may be based on information corresponding to the generalarea of the possible rendezvous location (e.g., crime statistics for thearea). Further, whether analyzed with respect to safety or moregenerally, locations may be ranked based on an analysis of the type ofneighborhood (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) and/orthe types of amenities and/or activities offered nearby (e.g., shoppingmalls/stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc.). Further, in someexamples, location rankings are based on prior user ratings of thelocations.

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 determines thecharacteristics of a possible rendezvous location in substantiallyreal-time (e.g., when a rendezvous location is to be identified). Inother examples, general characteristics of rendezvous locations may beassessed in advance based on an analysis of predefined areas within acity or other geographic region. These differing approaches areexplained in connection with FIGS. 2-3. FIGS. 2 and 3 are representativeof a map showing the expected route 202 of an EV 102 between its currentlocation 204 and a trip destination 206. For purposes of explanation andclarity, all roads other than the expected route 202 have been omitted.In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 identifies an area208 extending along the expected route 202 of the EV 102 within which toselect possible rendezvous locations. In some examples, the area 208 isdefined to be within a threshold distance 210 of the expected route 202.By defining an outer boundary of the area 208 in this manner, theexample rendezvous selection system 124 may reduce the potential amountof diversion off of the expected route 202 for the EV to reach therendezvous location eventually selected for a battery charge. In someexamples, the threshold distance may be any suitable distance (e.g., twoblocks, five blocks, half a mile, etc.).

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 2, the rendezvous selection system124 divides the area 208 into multiple regions 212. In some examples,each region may correspond to a set length (e.g., one quarter mile)along the expected route. In some examples, each side of the expectedroute may correspond to a different region 212. In other examples,smaller regions and/or regions of different sizes may alternatively bedefined. The rendezvous selection system 124 may analyze each region 212to determine relevant characteristics to be imputed to any particularrendezvous location positioned within the region 212. That is, for eachregion 212, the rendezvous selection system 124 may identify the type ofneighborhood, identify the number and/or types of stores, or otheramenities within the region 212, and analyze available crime statisticsand/or other available information to assign a general ranking to theregion. In some such examples, the general ranking of a region 212 maybe used in assigning a specific ranking to a particular location withinthe region 212 being considered for a rendezvous with an MCU 104. Insome examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 identifies a singlepossible rendezvous location within each region 212 to develop the fullpool of possible rendezvous locations from which a final location is tobe selected. In some examples, less than all of the regions 212 withinthe area 208 are analyzed because they are beyond the remaining expectedrange of the EV 102. Alternatively or additionally, the regions 212could each be small enough to only include one possible rendezvouslocation, such as one store parking lot.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the city represented by theillustrated map may be divided into discrete regions 302 that areanalyzed for the same characteristics as described above (crime,available amenities, etc.) and stored at a central server (e.g., theserver 130) prior to the EV 102 requesting a battery charge from an MCU104. In some examples, once such a request is received, the rendezvousselection system 124 may identify (e.g., access or retrieve from theserver 130) the regions 302 that fall within the area 208 that extendsalong the expected route 202 and use the predetermined rankings for theregions 302 to define rankings for particular rendezvous locationsbetween the EV 102 and an MCU 104. In some examples, only the regions302 within the area 208 that are within the remaining expected range ofthe EV 102 are analyzed. Depending on the size of the area 208 (e.g.,based on the threshold distance 210) and the size of the regions 302,the rendezvous selection system 124 may identify any region 302 that isat least partially within the area 208 (e.g., the shaded regions 302 inFIG. 3). In other examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 mayidentify only the regions 302 that are entirely within the area 208.

Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the different parameters and/orcharacteristics used to rank rendezvous locations may not necessarily bemutually exclusive. For example, a longer expected battery charge (dueto a slower charge rate) may be less of a concern if the rendezvouslocation is in a safe location that offers amenities (e.g., a store orrestaurant) where the EV user may go while waiting for the charge tocomplete. Thus, in some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124may rank different rendezvous locations based on a combination of someor all of the parameters outlined above and/or based on other factors.

In some examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 automaticallyselects the rendezvous location for the EV 102 and the MCU 104 based onthe rankings (e.g., automatically selecting the highest rankedlocation). In other examples, the rendezvous selection system 124 maypresent multiple possible rendezvous locations to a user of the EV 102(e.g., via the user interface 126) for the user to select. In some suchexamples, the options are presented to the user in an ordered formatbased on the rankings. In some examples, the different parameters orfactors considered in ranking rendezvous locations are given differentweightings based on user preferences, thereby affecting the order inwhich they are presented to the user. In some examples, the rendezvouslocations are ordered based on a particular parameter selected by theuser (e.g., list closest locations first, list shortest waiting periodsfirst, list least expensive locations first, etc.).

In the illustrated example, once the rendezvous selection system 124selects a particular rendezvous location (either automatically or basedon a user selection), the rendezvous location is transmitted to the MCU104 to enable the MCU 104 to be guided to the location. In someexamples, an estimated arrival time of the EV 102 to the rendezvouslocation is also provided to the MCU 104. Additionally, in someexamples, the identified rendezvous location is provided to thenavigation system 118 of the EV 102 to guide the EV 102 to therendezvous location. In some examples, the navigation guidance mayprovide verbal cues and/or directions on a map displayed via the userinterface 126. In some examples, the MCU 104 transmits its location tothe EV 102 in substantially real-time so that an indication of the MCU104 may be displayed on the map relative to a current location of the EV102 and/or the rendezvous location.

In some examples, one or both of the EV 102 and the MCU 104 areautonomously driven to the rendezvous location. In this manner, there isless likely to be deviations in the expected route of the EV 102 and/orthe MCU 104 and/or the expected travel times such that the estimationsof waiting periods and distances may be more reliable.

In some examples, one or more of the elements in the EV mobile chargesystem 110 may additionally or alternatively be implemented separatelyfrom the EV 102. For example, the rendezvous selection system 124 mayalternatively be implemented by the MCU 104. In other examples, therendezvous selection system 124 may be implemented remotely via theserver 130 in communication with the EV 102 and the MCU 104. Of course,the rendezvous selection system 124 being implemented remotely from theEV 102 may affect the type of information that is included in therequest for a battery charge. For instance, if the server 130 is todetermine the location for a rendezvous location, the request from theEV 102 may include the current location of the EV 102, the tripdestination of the EV 102, the remaining trip distance to the tripdestination, the expected route of the EV 102, and/or the remainingexpected range of the EV 102. The server 130 may then transmit therelevant information to one or more MCUs 104 and/or receive the relevantlocation and availability information as described above to thendetermine a rendezvous location (or multiple locations to be provided tothe EV user for selection).

In some examples, multiple MCUs 104 may report their respectivepositions and availabilities to a central server (e.g., the server 130)in substantially real-time and/or as requested by the server 130independent of a request from the EV 102. That is, in some examples, theserver 130 may contain a database of the current positions andavailabilities of a fleet of MCUs 104 to enable the server 130 torespond with the relevant information when the EV 102 requests a batterycharge. In some examples, a particular MCU 104 may currently beresponding to a request to charge a different EV. Accordingly, in somesuch examples, the MCU 104 may provide an expected position of the MCUat the time the MCU 104 is expected to become available (e.g., thelocation of the rendezvous with other EV when the associated batterycharge is anticipated to be complete). In some examples, thesubstantially real-time positions (current position and/or expectedposition) and availabilities (and/or other information) of a fleet ofMCUs 104 may be provided to EV user. In some examples, rather thanpresenting the user with multiple possible rendezvous locations alongthe expected route of the EV 102, the position, availability, and/orother information (e.g. cost of charges) of the different MCUs 104 maybe provided for selection to the user independent of the expected routeof the EV 102. In some such examples, the real-time positions and/oravailabilities of the different MCUs 104 may be presented on a map tothe user via the user interface 126. The user may select a particularMCU 104 and then the rendezvous selection system 124 (e.g., implementedat the server 130) determines a suitable rendezvous location. In somesuch examples, determining the particular travel route of the EV 102 isnot necessary because the user can select the MCU 104 that is closest towhere the user wants to go or otherwise on the way to the user's desireddestination.

The cost of a battery charge from the MCU 104 may be greater than thecost to charge the battery assembly 106 if the EV 102 were able to reachits trip destination (e.g., where a stationary charging unit isavailable). Thus, the user of the EV 102 may not want to pay for anymore electricity from the MCU 104 than is necessary for the EV 102 totravel the remaining trip distance to the trip destination. Accordingly,in some examples, the charge monitoring system 114 determines a targetcharge level for the battery assembly 106 corresponding to when thebattery assembly has stored sufficient energy to provide a certain levelof confidence or probability that the electric vehicle will reach thetrip destination without needing an additional battery charge. Thetarget charge level is associated with a level of confidence orprobability because the exact distance that the EV 102 will be able totravel cannot be precisely determined. As described above, there are anumber of factors (e.g., traffic, elevation gains/losses, use of airconditioner, etc.) that can affect how quickly energy stored in thebattery assembly 106 is depleted. In some examples, the target chargelevel (and the associated probability) corresponds to when the chargelevel of the battery is associated with a remaining expected range ofthe EV 102 that exceeds the remaining trip distance by a threshold. Whenthe battery assembly 106 is charged to a level corresponding to aremaining expected range that exceeds the remaining trip distance of theEV 102 from the rendezvous location (determined by the trip routeanalyzer 116) by a threshold (i.e., the battery is charged to the targetcharge level), the charge monitoring system 114 may generate a signal tostop the charging process.

In some examples, the threshold (above the remaining trip distance)depends upon the remaining trip distance of the EV 102. For example, ifthe EV 102 is 1 mile away from its desired destination, a threshold of 1mile (for a remaining expected range of at least 2 miles) may be used todetermine the target charge level that triggers the signal to stop thecharging process. By contrast, if the EV 102 is 20 miles away from itstrip destination, a threshold of 5 miles (or more) may be used todetermine the target charge level that triggers the signal to stop thecharging process. The larger threshold for a larger remaining tripdistance compensates for the greater uncertainty associated with how thebattery energy will be consumed during the remaining trip distance. Thatis, in some examples, to maintain a substantially consistent level ofconfidence or probability that the EV 102 will reach its desireddestination, the threshold may be larger for longer remaining tripdistances than shorter ones. Additionally or alternatively, otherfactors (e.g., traffic, elevation gains/losses, etc.) may also be takeninto consideration when calculating the threshold and/or correspondingtarget charge level to achieve the desired probability.

Further, in some examples, that target charge level may be adjustedbased on user input selecting a different probability that the EV 102will reach the trip destination. For example, EV users may desire toassume an increased risk that they will not reach their desired tripdestination by selecting a lower probability to reduce the cost and/ortime of battery charge services from the MCU 104. In some such examples,the charge monitoring system 114 provides suggestions how to reduce therisk by, for example, turning off an air conditioner, choosing adifferent travel route based on real-time traffic updates, etc. In otherexamples, EV users may desire an increased probability so that theirminds are at greater ease about reaching their desired destination(e.g., give them the option to make a possible detour from theirexpected travel route).

In some such examples, the charge monitoring system 114 calculates anadditional cost to charge the battery assembly 106 to a higher targetcharge level associated with the higher probability. The additional costmay be calculated by multiplying the cost per unit of energy and theamount of energy needed to reach the higher target charge level. Forexample, assuming the additional amount of energy for the higherprobability corresponds to 4 kWh of energy and the cost of the MCU 104is $0.70/kWh, the total additional cost for the increased probabilitywould be 2.80 ($0.70/kWh×4 kWh). In some examples, the additional costmay be calculated as the cost above what the user would incur if theuser were to charge the EV 102 at a stationary charging unit at the tripdestination (e.g., at the user's home). For example, if the stationarycharge unit costs the user $0.15/kWh, the charge of $4 kWh would cost$0.60 for a difference in costs of $2.20 if the user desires the higherprobability.

Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the charge monitoringsystem 114 calculates an additional time delay to charge the batteryassembly 106 to a higher target charge level associated with the higherprobability. The additional time delay may be calculated by dividing theamount of energy needed to reach the higher target charge level by acharging rate provided by the MCU 104. For example, assuming the MCU 104is equipped with a 40 kW charger, increasing the battery charge level bythe 4 kWh additional amount of energy would take an additional 0.1 hours(4 kWh÷40 kW) or six minutes.

In some examples, the charge monitoring system 114 presents (via theuser interface 126) an option to the user of an EV to select a higherprobability. In some such examples, the additional cost and/or theadditional time delay is presented to a user along with the option tobetter inform the user about the option. In some examples, multipledifferent options associated with different probabilities may bepresented to the user for selection. In some examples, other informationmay also be presented to users to further inform their decisions. Forexample, the location characteristics (e.g., safety ranking, nearbyamenities/activities, etc.) may be provided so that the users candetermine if they are willing to wait a longer duration at therendezvous location. Furthermore, other criteria and/or additionalinformation other than what is described above may additionally oralternatively be presented to users to help them make an informeddecision when providing input to select a particular rendezvouslocation.

While an example manner of implementing the EV mobile charge system 110of FIG. 1 is illustrated, one or more of the elements, processes and/ordevices illustrated in FIG. 1 may be combined, divided, re-arranged,omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other way. Further, theexample battery charge level monitor 112, the example charge monitoringsystem 114, the example trip route analyzer 116, the example navigationsystem 118, the example travel route database 120, the examplecommunication system 122, the example rendezvous selection system 124,the example user interface 126, and/or, more generally, the example EVmobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 may be implemented by hardware,software, firmware and/or any combination of hardware, software and/orfirmware. Thus, for example, any of the example battery charge levelmonitor 112, the example charge monitoring system 114, the example triproute analyzer 116, the example navigation system 118, the exampletravel route database 120, the example communication system 122, theexample rendezvous selection system 124, the example user interface 126,and/or, more generally, the example EV mobile charge system 110 could beimplemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits,programmable processor(s), application specific integrated circuit(s)(ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or fieldprogrammable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)). When reading any of theapparatus or system claims of this patent to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the example batterycharge level monitor 112, the example charge monitoring system 114, theexample trip route analyzer 116, the example navigation system 118, theexample travel route database 120, the example communication system 122,the example rendezvous selection system 124, and/or the example userinterface 126 is/are hereby expressly defined to include a tangiblecomputer readable storage device or storage disk such as a memory, adigital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc.storing the software and/or firmware. Further still, the example EVmobile charge system 110 may include one or more elements, processesand/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated in FIG.1, and/or may include more than one of any or all of the illustratedelements, processes and devices.

Flowcharts representative of example methods for implementing the EVmobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIGS. 4-8. In thisexample, the methods may be implemented using machine readableinstructions that comprise a program for execution by a processor suchas the processor 912 shown in the example processor platform 900discussed below in connection with FIG. 9. The program may be embodiedin software stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium suchas a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk(DVD), a Blu-ray disk, or a memory associated with the processor 912,but the entire program and/or parts thereof could alternatively beexecuted by a device other than the processor 912 and/or embodied infirmware or dedicated hardware. Further, although the example program isdescribed with reference to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 4-8,many other methods of implementing the example EV mobile charge system110 may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution ofthe blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may bechanged, eliminated, or combined.

As mentioned above, the example methods of FIGS. 4-8 may be implementedusing coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine readableinstructions) stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium suchas a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), acompact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a cache, arandom-access memory (RAM) and/or any other storage device or storagedisk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extendedtime periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarilybuffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, theterm tangible computer readable storage medium is expressly defined toinclude any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage diskand to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. Asused herein, “tangible computer readable storage medium” and “tangiblemachine readable storage medium” are used interchangeably. Additionallyor alternatively, the example methods of FIGS. 4-8 may be implementedusing coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine readableinstructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/or machinereadable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-onlymemory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a cache, arandom-access memory and/or any other storage device or storage disk inwhich information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended timeperiods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering,and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the termnon-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to includeany type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and toexclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. As usedherein, when the phrase “at least” is used as the transition term in apreamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same manner as the term“comprising” is open ended.

Turning in detail to the drawings, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating anexample method to implement the EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 torequest a battery charge rendezvous between the EV 102 and the MCU 104of FIG. 1. The method of FIG. 4 begins at block 402 where the exampletrip route analyzer 116 determines a trip destination for the EV 102. Insome examples, the trip destination corresponds to one or more locationsassociated with a stationary charging unit. In some such examples, theone or more locations are predefined by a user of the EV 102 independentof the direction of travel and/or route taken by the EV 102 at aparticular point in time. Additionally or alternatively, in someexamples, the trip destination may be determined based on the directionof travel and/or route taken by the EV 102 at particular points in timeas explained more fully below in connection with FIG. 5. At block 404,the example charge monitoring system 114 calculates a remaining tripdistance based on an expected route to the trip destination. In someexamples, the charge monitoring system 114 uses the navigation system118 to determine the expected route of the EV 102 and/or to calculatethe trip distance.

At block 406, the example battery charge level monitor 112 monitors abattery charge level of the EV battery assembly 106. At block 408, theexample charge monitoring system 114 calculates a remaining expectedrange of the EV based on the battery charge level. At block 410, theexample charge monitoring system 114 determines whether the remainingtrip distance is greater than the maximum driving range of the EV 102(e.g., the expected range of the EV 102 with a fully charged battery).In some examples, this determination incorporates a desired reservedriving range as a safety factor. If the remaining trip distance isgreater than the maximum driving range of the EV 102, at least onebattery charge will be needed with the possibility that multiple batterycharges may be needed before the EV 102 reaches the trip destination.Thus, under such circumstances, control advances to block 412 where theexample charge monitoring system 114 determines whether the remainder ofthe remaining trip distance divided by the maximum driving range of theEV 102 is less than the remaining expected range. If so, controladvances to block 414 where the example charge monitoring system 114determines target travel distance to the next battery charge to reducethe total number of battery charges for the trip. That is, where theremainder calculated at block 412 is less than the remaining expectedrange of the EV 102 it may be possible to reduce the total number ofbattery charges if the EV 102 covers the distance of the remainderbefore stopping for a charge. Thus, the target travel distancecorresponds to a travel range between the distance of the remainder andthe remaining expected range of the EV 102. After determining the traveldistances to reduce the number of battery charges (block 414), controladvances to block 416 where the example charge monitoring system 114requests instructions from a user of the EV 102 to arrange one or morebattery charge rendezvous needed for the EV 102 to reach the tripdestination. On the other hand, if the remainder calculated at block 412is not less than the remaining expected range of the EV 102, the timing(travel distance) of subsequent battery charges will not affect thenumber of charges needed for the full trip such that control advancesdirectly to block 416 to request instructions from the user. In someexamples, the charge monitoring system 114 requests user instructions bygenerating an alert or other indication provided to the user via theexample user interface 126 indicating the EV battery will need a chargebefore arriving at the trip destination.

In some examples, block 416 is omitted in the example method and controlautomatically advances directly to block 418 where the example chargemonitoring system 114 generates a request for the one or more batterycharge rendezvous. In some examples, the request includes relevantinformation necessary for a mobile charging unit to respond to therequest. For example, the request may include the current location ofthe EV 102, the expected route of the EV 102, the travel distances toreduce the number of battery charges, the trip destination of the EV102, the remaining expected range of the EV 102, and/or the remainingtrip distance of the EV 102. At block 420, the example communicationsystem 122 transmits the request for the one or more battery chargerendezvous. Thereafter, the example method of FIG. 4 ends.

Returning to block 410, if the example charge monitoring system 114determines that the remaining trip distance is not greater than themaximum driving range of the EV 102 (indicating that, at most, only onebattery charge will be needed), control advances to block 444. At block444, the example charge monitoring system 114 determines whether theratio of the remaining trip distance to the remaining expected rangeexceeds a threshold. If not, control returns to block 402. If theexample charge monitoring system 114 determines that the ratio of theremaining trip distance to the remaining expected range does exceed thethreshold, control advances to block 216 to request instructions fromthe user, to then generate a request for a battery charge rendezvous(block 418), and to transmit the request (block 440) before the examplemethod of FIG. 4 ends.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 to determine a tripdestination for the EV 102. In some examples, the example method of FIG.5 may be used to implement block 402 of the example method of FIG. 4.The method of FIG. 5 begins at block 502 where the example trip routeanalyzer 116 determines whether the user of the EV 102 has provided atrip destination. In some examples, the user may have provided the tripdestination via the user interface 126 to obtain navigation assistancefrom the navigation system 118. If the example trip route analyzer 116determines that the user of the EV 102 has provided a trip destination,control advances to block 512 where the example trip route analyzer 116uses the user provided trip destination. Thereafter, the example methodof FIG. 5 ends and returns to complete the example method of FIG. 4.

If the example trip route analyzer 116 determines that the user of theEV 102 has not provided a trip destination, control advances to block504 where the example trip route analyzer 116 determines whether thecurrent travel path or route of the EV 102 matches a historical travelpath. Historical travel paths of the EV 102 may be stored in the exampletravel route database 120 for comparison to the current travel path ofthe EV 102. If the example trip route analyzer 116 determines that thecurrent travel path of the EV 102 does match a historical travel path(e.g., the current travel path is recognizable), control advances toblock 506 where the example trip route analyzer 116 uses the destinationof the historical travel path as the trip destination.

At block 508, the example trip route analyzer 116 determines whether thecurrent travel path of the EV 102 has deviated from the matchinghistorical travel path. Such a deviation may indicate that the EV 102 isnot on the same route as defined by the historical travel path. Thus, insome examples, the trip destination may be repeatedly calculated and/orupdated based on the continued monitoring of the location and traveldirection of the EV 102. If the example trip route analyzer 116determines that the current travel path of the EV 102 has not deviatedfrom the matching historical travel path (i.e., the paths still match),the example method of FIG. 4 ends and returns to complete the examplemethod of FIG. 4. However, if the example trip route analyzer 116determines that the current travel path of the EV 102 has deviated fromthe matching historical travel path (i.e., the paths no longer match),control advances to block 510 where the example user interface 126prompts the user for a trip destination.

Returning to block 504, if the example trip route analyzer 116determines that the current travel path of the EV 102 does not match ahistorical travel path, control directly advances to block 510 to promptthe user to identify the trip destination. Thereafter, control advancesto block 512 where the example trip route analyzer 116 uses the userprovided trip destination, after which the example method of FIG. 5 endsand returns to complete the example method of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 to identify a rendezvouslocation. As mentioned above, the determination of the rendezvouslocation may be determined by the EV mobile charge system 110 of the EV102. However, in other examples, the rendezvous location may bedetermined by the MCU 104 and/or at another location remote from the EV102 (e.g., via the server 130). For purposes of explanation, the examplemethod of FIG. 6 is described as being implemented by the EV mobilecharge system 110 of the EV 102, but the example method of FIG. 6 can besuitably adapted for implementation at a location remote from the EV102. An additional alternate implementation for the remote server 130 toidentify a rendezvous location in response to a request for a batterycharge from the EV 102 is provided below in connection with FIG. 7.

The example method of FIG. 6 begins at block 602 where the communicationsystem 122 receives location and availability data from the MCU 104. Insome examples, this data may be received directly from the MCU 104(e.g., via a direct radio communication). In other examples, this datamay be received indirectly over the network 128 via the server 130. Atblock 604, the example rendezvous selection system 124 identifies arendezvous location. In some examples, the rendezvous location is basedon the location and availability of the MCU 104 as well as the location,expected route, and remaining expected range of the EV 102. In someexamples, the identified rendezvous location corresponds to a particularregion within an area extending along the expected route of the EV 102.

At block 606, the example rendezvous selection system 124 ranks therendezvous location. In some examples, the ranking of the rendezvouslocation may be based on one or more factors including (1) a waitingperiod for the EV 102 at the rendezvous location before the MCU 104arrives, (2) a diversion time for the EV 102 to go to the rendezvouslocation, (3) a diversion distance from the expected route of the EV102, (3) a travel time for the EV 102 before arriving at the rendezvouslocation, (4) a speed and/or a corresponding expected duration of thebattery charge, (5) a travel distance between the current location ofthe EV 102 and the rendezvous location, (6) a travel distance betweenthe current location of the MCU 104 and the rendezvous location, (7) acost of the battery charge, (8) a number of battery charges expectedbefore arriving at the trip destination (based on the remaining tripdistance from the rendezvous location and the maximum driving range ofthe EV 102), (9) an anticipated remaining expected range of the EV 102after arriving at the rendezvous location, (10) a safety characteristicof the rendezvous location, (11) an availability of amenities and/oractivities near the rendezvous location, (12) a type of neighborhoodsurrounding the rendezvous location, (13) a prior user rating of therendezvous location, etc. In some examples, the different factors may beweighted differently based on user preferences and/or user inputs.

At block 608, the example rendezvous selection system 124 determineswhether there is another possible rendezvous location. In some examples,another possible rendezvous location is identified when there is anotherregion (e.g., the regions 212 of FIG. 2 or the regions 302 of FIG. 3)within an area (e.g., the area 208) extending along the expected routeof the EV 102 that has not yet been analyzed. If the example rendezvousselection system 124 determines that there is another possiblerendezvous location (block 408), control returns to block 604.Otherwise, control advances to block 610, where the example rendezvousselection system 124 determines whether there is another MCU 104. If so,control returns to block 602. Otherwise, control advances to block 612.In some examples, only the nearest MCU 104 to each region 212, 302 isconsidered for that particular region 212, 302. That is, in suchexamples, only one possible rendezvous location is identified for eachregion 212, 302. In other examples, each region 212, 302 may beconsidered with respect to multiple different MCU 104 within thevicinity for a possible rendezvous location.

At block 612, the example rendezvous selection system 124 orders therendezvous locations based on the rankings. At block 614, the exampleuser interface 126 presents the ordered rendezvous locations to the userfor selection. In some examples, the user may interact with the orderedlist of rendezvous locations to filter and/or reorder locations based ona different weighting of the ranking factors and/or specific orderingcriteria. In some examples, the user may be presented with only thehighest ranked rendezvous location rather than presenting multiplepossible locations to the user. At block 616, the example user interface126 receives a user selection of one of the rendezvous locations.

At block 618, the example communication system 122 transmits theselected rendezvous location to the MCU 104. Additionally, in someexamples, the MCU 104 is provided with an anticipated time of arrival ofthe EV 102 at the rendezvous location and/or an anticipated time thatthe MCU 104 should arrive at the rendezvous location to charge thebattery assembly 106 of the EV 102. After the selected rendezvouslocation (and/or other information) is transmitted to the MCU 104, theexample method of FIG. 6 ends.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample server 130 of FIG. 1 to identify a rendezvous location. Theexample method of FIG. 7 begins at block 702 where the example server130 receives position and availability data from the MCU 104. In someexamples, the server 130 may request the position and availability datafrom the MCU 104. In other examples, the MCU 104 automatically reportsthe data. In some examples, the position of the MCU 104 corresponds to acurrent position if the MCU is currently available. If the MCU 104 isnot currently available, the reported position may correspond to anexpected position of the MCU 104 when the MCU 104 is expected to becomeavailable (e.g., after providing a charge to a different EV). At block704 the example server 130 determines whether there is another MCU 104.If so, control returns to block 702. Otherwise, control advances toblock 706 where the example server 130 determines whether a request fora battery charge has been received from the EV 102. If not, controlreturns to block 702 to collect updated position and availability datafrom the MCUs 104.

If the example server 130 has received a request for a battery charge(block 706), control advances to block 708 where the example server 130provides the positions of available MCUs 104 to the EV 102. In someexamples, the positions of available MCUs 104 may include the expectedposition of MCUs 104 with an indication of the time when they areexpected to become available. In some examples, the positions may bepresented to a user of the EV 102 via a map to graphically represent thepositions of the MCUs 104 relative to a location of the EV 102. In someexamples, the server 130 may provide additional information to the EV102 such as, for example, the time of availability of the MCUs 104and/or the costs of a battery charge from each of the MCUs.

At block 710, the example server 130 receives a user selection of one ofthe available MCUs 104. At block 712, the example server 130 identifiesa rendezvous location associated with the selected MCU 104. Inasmuch asthe users of EVs 102 are likely to know where they are going, the usersmay select the particular MCU 104 based on a position of the selectedMCU 104 such that there is no need for the example server 130 (or the EVmobile charge system 110) to analyze or be aware of the particulartravel path of the EV 102 to identify a rendezvous location that isrelatively convenient to the EV 102. At block 714, the example server130 transmits the identified rendezvous location to the EV 102 and theselected MCU 104. Thereafter, the example method of FIG. 7 ends.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example method to implement theexample EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1 to enable the EV 102 toreceive a battery charge from the MCU 104 at a rendezvous location. Theexample method begins at block 802 where the example navigation system118 guides the EV 102 to a designated rendezvous location. In someexamples, the EV 102 may enter an autonomous mode to be autonomouslyguided to the rendezvous location. In other examples, the navigationsystem 118 may provide voice cues and/or directions via a map displayedvia the user interface 126.

At block 804, the example charge monitoring system 114 calculates aremaining trip distance from the rendezvous location to a tripdestination. In some examples, the remaining trip distance is calculatedsimilarly to block 404 explained above in connection with FIG. 4 anddetailed in FIG. 5. At block 806, the example charge monitoring system114 calculates a target charge level corresponding to a probability thatthe EV 102 will reach the trip destination without an additional batterycharge. In some examples, the probability corresponds to the remainingexpected range of the electric vehicle (associated with the targetcharge level) exceeding the remaining trip distance by a threshold. Thethreshold may be zero or greater than zero.

At block 808, the example user interface 126 presents an option(s) to auser for one or more different probabilities for the EV 102 to reach thetrip destination. For example, the options may enable a user to requesta lower probability to reduce the costs incurred from the battery chargeand/or to reduce the duration of time the user must wait at therendezvous location while the EV 102 is being charged. In otherexamples, the options may enable a user to request a higher probabilityto reduce the risk of the battery charge being insufficient to power theEV 102 to the final trip destination. At block 810, the example chargemonitoring system 114 determines whether a user has selected a differentprobability. If so, control advances to block 812 where the examplecharge monitoring system 114 updates the target charge level tocorrespond to the selected probability. Thereafter, control advances toblock 814. If the example charge monitoring system 114 determines that auser has not selected a different probability (block 810), controladvances directly to block 814.

At block 814, the example battery charge level monitor 112 monitors thebattery charge level during a battery charge (i.e., when the MCU 104 iselectrically coupled to the EV 102 to deliver electric energy to thebattery assembly 106). At block 816, the example charge monitoringsystem 114 determines whether the battery charge level has reached thetarget charge level. If not, control returns to block 814 where thebattery assembly 106 continues to be charged. If the example chargemonitoring system 114 determines that the battery charge level hasreached the target charge level, control advances to block 818 where theexample charge monitoring system 114 generates a signal to stop thebattery charge. Thereafter the example method of FIG. 8 ends.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 900 capableof executing instructions to implement the methods of FIGS. 4-8 and theEV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1. The processor platform 900 canbe, for example, a server, a personal computer, a mobile device (e.g., acell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as an iPad™), or any other typeof computing device.

The processor platform 900 of the illustrated example includes aprocessor 912. The processor 912 of the illustrated example includeshardware that may implement one or more of the example battery chargelevel monitor 112, the example charge monitoring system 114, the exampletrip route analyzer 116, the example navigation system 118, the examplecommunication system 122, and/or the example rendezvous selection system124 of the EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1. For example, theprocessor 912 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits,logic circuits, microprocessors or controllers from any desired familyor manufacturer.

The processor 912 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 913(e.g., a cache). The processor 912 of the illustrated example is incommunication with a main memory including a volatile memory 914 and anon-volatile memory 916 via a bus 918. The volatile memory 914 may beimplemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), DynamicRandom Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM)and/or any other type of random access memory device. The non-volatilememory 916 may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desiredtype of memory device. Access to the main memory 914, 916 is controlledby a memory controller.

The processor platform 900 of the illustrated example also includes aninterface circuit 920. The interface circuit 920 may be implemented byany type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, auniversal serial bus (USB), and/or a PCI express interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 922 are connectedto the interface circuit 920. The input device(s) 922 permit(s) a userto enter data and commands into the processor 912. The input device(s)can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, acamera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a mouse, a touchscreen, atrack-pad, a trackball, isopoint and/or a voice recognition system.

One or more output devices 924 are also connected to the interfacecircuit 920 of the illustrated example. The output devices 924 can beimplemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystaldisplay, a cathode ray tube display (CRT), a touchscreen, a tactileoutput device, a light emitting diode (LED), a printer and/or speakers).The interface circuit 920 of the illustrated example, thus, typicallyincludes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip or a graphicsdriver processor.

The interface circuit 920 of the illustrated example also includes acommunication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, amodem and/or network interface card to facilitate exchange of data withexternal machines (e.g., computing devices of any kind) via a network926 (e.g., an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), atelephone line, coaxial cable, a cellular telephone system, etc.).

The processor platform 900 of the illustrated example also includes oneor more mass storage devices 928 for storing software and/or data. Insome examples, the mass storage devices 928 implement the example travelroute database 120 of the EV mobile charge system 110 of FIG. 1.Examples of such mass storage devices 928 include floppy disk drives,hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, RAIDsystems, and digital versatile disk (DVD) drives.

Coded instructions 932 to implement the methods of FIGS. 4-8 may bestored in the mass storage device 928, in the volatile memory 914, inthe non-volatile memory 916, and/or on a removable tangible computerreadable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the above disclosedmethods, apparatus and articles of manufacture enable the manufacturingof electric vehicles at substantially reduced costs because the vehiclescan operate with much smaller (or fewer) batteries and/or batteryassemblies. Not only is the cost of the batteries in such vehiclesreduced, the reduction in weight of the vehicle resulting from fewerand/or smaller battery assemblies enables smaller and/or lightervehicles that can be manufactured at less cost and with better fueleconomy. In the past, electric vehicles with smaller and/or fewerbatteries have been undesirable to the average consumer because suchvehicles have a relatively limited driving range. However, the teachingsdisclosed herein overcome this obstacle by monitoring the remainingexpected range of an electric vehicle relative to a remaining tripdistance to determine if a battery charge will be needed before arrivingat a final trip destination (e.g., where the batteries of the electricvehicle may be recharged). If so, the electric vehicle may request torendezvous with a mobile charging unit to provide a battery charge tothe electric vehicle. Furthermore, the teachings disclosed herein enablethe arrangement of multiple battery charges along the travel route ofthe electric vehicle for relatively long trips that exceed the maximumdriving range of the electric vehicle (e.g., an expected range when thebattery assembly is fully charged).

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a processor, arequest for a mobile charging unit to meet an electric vehicle toprovide a battery charge to the electric vehicle, the request generatedby the electric vehicle when a ratio of a remaining trip distance of theelectric vehicle to a remaining expected range of the electric vehicleexceeds a threshold; and identifying, via the processor, a location forthe battery charge based on input from a user of the electric vehicleregarding a plurality of possible locations for the battery charge. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile charging unit is one of aplurality of mobile charging units, different ones of the mobilecharging units associated with different ones of the possible locations.3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the possible locations isassigned a ranking based on a plurality of factors including at leastone of (1) a battery charge service characteristic, (2) a battery chargescheduling characteristic, (3) a user convenience characteristic, (4) atravel time or a travel distance characteristic, or (5) a battery chargelocation characteristic.
 4. The method of claim 3, further includingproviding multiple ones of the possible locations for selection by theuser in an ordered format, the ordered format based on the rankingassigned to each of the possible locations.
 5. The method of claim 3,further including automatically identifying the location for the batterycharge based on the ranking assigned to each of the possible locations,the input from the user indicating preferences for one or more of thefactors, the assignment of the rankings based on the preferences.
 6. Themethod of claim 2, further including: presenting a map to the user via auser interface, the map indicating a position of each of the mobilecharging units in a vicinity of the electric vehicle, the input from theuser corresponding to a selection of one of the mobile charging units;and identifying the location for the battery charge based on theposition of the selected mobile charging unit.
 7. The method of claim 6,further including presenting an indication of a time of availability ofeach of the mobile charging units, the positions of the mobile chargingunits corresponding to current positions when the mobile charging unitsare currently available, the positions of the mobile charging unitscorresponding to expected positions of the mobile charging units whenthe mobile charging units are expected to become available.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further including; identifying multiple regionswithin an area extending along the expected route of the electricvehicle, the area defined to be within a threshold distance of theexpected route; and identifying a different one of the possiblelocations in each of the multiple regions.
 9. An apparatus comprising: aprocessor; and a memory including instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: receive a request for a mobile charging unit tomeet an electric vehicle to provide a battery charge to the electricvehicle, the request generated by the electric vehicle when a ratio of aremaining trip distance of the electric vehicle to a remaining expectedrange of the electric vehicle exceeds a threshold; and identify alocation for the battery charge based on input from a user of theelectric vehicle regarding a plurality of possible locations for thebattery charge.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mobilecharging unit is one of a plurality of mobile charging units, differentones of the mobile charging units associated with different ones of thepossible locations.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein theinstructions further cause the processor to identify the plurality ofpossible locations based on a time of availability of each of the mobilecharging units and at least one of (1) a current position of each of themobile charging units or (2) an expected position of each of the mobilecharging units at the time of availability.
 12. The apparatus of claim10, wherein each of the possible locations is assigned a ranking basedon a plurality of factors including at least one of (1) a battery chargeservice characteristic, (2) a battery charge scheduling characteristic,(3) a user convenience characteristic, (4) a travel time or a traveldistance characteristic, or (5) a battery charge locationcharacteristic.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructionsfurther cause the processor to provide multiple ones of the possiblelocations for selection by the user in an ordered format, the orderedformat based on the ranking assigned to each of the possible locations.14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions further causethe processor to automatically identify the location for the batterycharge based on the ranking assigned to each of the possible locations,the input from the user indicating preferences for one or more of thefactors, the assignment of the rankings based on the preferences. 15.The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause theprocessor to: present a map to the user via a user interface, the mapindicating a position of each of the mobile charging units in a vicinityof the electric vehicle, the input from the user corresponding to aselection of one of the mobile charging units; and identify the locationfor the battery charge based on the position of the selected mobilecharging unit.
 16. A tangible computer readable storage mediumcomprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to atleast: receive a request for a mobile charging unit to meet an electricvehicle to provide a battery charge to the electric vehicle, the requestgenerated by the electric vehicle when a ratio of a remaining tripdistance of the electric vehicle to a remaining expected range of theelectric vehicle exceeds a threshold; and identify a location for thebattery charge based on input from a user of the electric vehicleregarding a plurality of possible locations for the battery charge. 17.The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile charging unit is oneof a plurality of mobile charging units, different ones of the mobilecharging units associated with different ones of the possible locations.18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein each of the possiblelocations is assigned a ranking based on a plurality of factorsincluding at least one of (1) a battery charge service characteristic,(2) a battery charge scheduling characteristic, (3) a user conveniencecharacteristic, (4) a travel time or a travel distance characteristic,or (5) a battery charge location characteristic.
 19. The storage mediumof claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the machine toprovide multiple ones of the possible locations for selection by theuser in an ordered format, the ordered format based on the rankingassigned to each of the possible locations.
 20. The storage medium ofclaim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to: presenta map to the user via a user interface, the map indicating a position ofeach of the mobile charging units in a vicinity of the electric vehicle,the input from the user corresponding to a selection of one of themobile charging units; and identify the location for the battery chargebased on the position of the selected mobile charging unit.